Method of connecting driving elements and the article produced thereby



June 20, 1939. ADAMS 2,162,902

METHOD OF CONNECTING DRIVING ELEMENTS AND THE ARTICLE PRODUCED THEREBYFiled Sept. 25, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet J H. D. ADAMS June 20, 1939.

METHOD OF CONNECTING DRIVING EL-EMENTs AND THE ARTICLE PRODUCED THEREBYFiled Sept. 25,' 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lil Patented June 20, 1939 pieTENT OFFICE METHOD OF CONNECTING DRIVING ELE- MENTS AND THE THEREBYARTICLE PRODUCED 4 Claims.

This invention pertains to a method of assembling, centering, andsecuring rotatable machine elements relatively to each other.

More particularly, in the present instance themethod is directed to thecentering of and securing together a driving element and a fan or othertype of element to be driven.

An object of the invention is to provide a method of so mounting machineelements relatively that after assembly there will be no likelihood ofan unbalance developing in the rotating whole where each element hasbeen first balanced about its axis. I

A further object is to provide a method of centering and so securing inassembled relation a series of machine elements, each previouslybalanced on its axis, that no out-of-balance condition of the wholeduring rotation can develop, nor can such elements become loosened.

To the end that the invention may be understood in all its details theaccompanying drawings are provided, wherein: a 1

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a fanshowing certainextensions of amounting hub onits face.

Figure2 is a side elevation of a hub, fan and pulley as parts involvingthe invention.

, Figure 3 is an end elevation of a hub showing extensions appearing inFigure 1.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the hub of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section of part of the fan and pulley,together with a hub upon which those parts are mounted and to which theyare secured, in addition to which a centering-pin and a die appear.

Figure 6 is an end elevation of the working face of the die shown inFigure 5.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal section ofa hub and part of a different formof pulley from that in Figures 2 and 5.

Figure '7 is a side elevation of a pulley showing the free ends of theextensions of the hub of Figures 3 and 4 as they appear on the facethereof when in assembled relation. 7

Figure 8 is a front elevation of aportion of fan illustrating a slightlydifferent structure from that shown in Figure 1, and in addition to thatstructure.

Figure 9 is an end elevation of the hub shown in Figures 8 and 9, andFigure 10 is alongitudinal section of the fan, hub, and pulley of Figure8, together with a forming die.

There are many uses fora fan and a driving element therefor necessary incramped quarters, and an assembly of this type is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings involving the fan together with a pulley as suchdriving element. 7

Especially when the fan has considerable weight and is to serve as a flywheel it has been difiicult to connect it andthe driving element, thepulley, so that looseness between the two will not finally develop withconsequent difficulties, including an out-of-balance condition ofrotating parts. However, the sudden starting or stopping of a fan in aform of assembly of the type illustrated herein places a severe strainon the securing means, as maybe readily understood, soon rendering thewhole of little value, as ordinarily constructed. After muchexperimenting and many trials under conditions normally existing in thevaried uses of a fanassembly I have developed the structure herein to bedescribed which fully answer the requirements, 1. e.: and assemblywherein no looseness between the parts can possibly develop even underextremely severe conditions, and wherein perfect balance will bemaintained.

In said drawings I designates a fan of heavy gauge of metal which inthisinstance is preferably stamped in one piece and properly balanced on itsaxis of rotation before being assembled in the complete device, whilev 2is a pulley'preferably consisting of halves, in this particularinstance,

stamped from sheet metal and abutting each other, being so formed as tocreate in the present instance a groove to receive a' driving belt notshown. Near the center of the fan a series of openings 3 is createdpreferably disposed in a line concentric with the central bore 4.

Likewise the halves of the pulley, 2, are provided with similar openings5, arranged in like manner about the bore 6 of said halves. A hub 7,having a bore 1 lies between the pulley and fan and is provided withmeans for securement of the two latter thereto. That is to say, fromeach hub-end projects a series of extensions or posts, 8, agreeing inspacing and position with the said openings .3 and 5, respectively, ofsaid fan and pulley.

These openings in the fan, and in pulley-halvesv are preferably andnaturally produced by means of suitable dies, not shown, and theextensions of posts 8 formed by milling or otherwise removing the solidstock of the hub-ends so that the resultant posts will register withsaid openings, the latter and the posts naturally being spaced a likedistance from the bores of the parts so as to be in alignment when saidparts are mounted on a shaft not shown.

Since the posts must more or less freely enter the openings of thepulley and fan they must naturally be slightly less in measurement thansaid openings and in the completed assembly depicted in Figures 2 and 5,if no centering other than that provided by the posts, the parts whenassembled may be out of balance no matter how carefully the hub, fan andpulley may have been balanced individually. Because of the unbalancethat may thus arise all of the parts are preferably assembled in thefollowing manner: That is to say, a centering pin or mandrel A isprovided to slidably fit the bores of the parts in a snug manner, takingup the position shown, and since the bores of all of the parts areidentical in diameter the centering pin will bring about exact alignmentof such parts.

Due to the named slight variation in size of the openings 3 and 5 andthe posts 8 it is clear that the free engagement thereof and thesecurement of the posts without properly balancing cannot be dependedupon to yield the exact alignment and balance. The centering of theparts on their axes, first, therefore, is the answer, since perfectbalance must result from such procedure, following which such parts maythen be secured relatively.

Having properly centered the several parts, therefore, a die 9, such asthat shown in Figure 5, for example, is brought into use by which theends of the posts 8 are upset or riveted thereby forming a head on eachto bear upon the part to be held as shown in said Figure 5, it beingnoted that the formed heads bear at their opposite sides upon the saidparts beside which the pressure used in upsetting or riveting the postscauses the latter to be enlarged or spread within the openings 3, 5 toexactly fit and entirely fill the same, there being no chance for futurelateral, shift of the parts relatively.

The said die 9 of Figures 5 and 6, as may be seen, may be a memberprovided with a circular groove ill, for example, in one of its faceswhich when brought down upon the posts 8 serves to turn over theopposite edges thereof creating the mentioned heads.

It is observed that the posts 8 extend from a flat end of the hub andthat each post is spaced both from the bore 1 and from the outercylindrical surface of such hub leaving faces for the abutment of thefan and pulley and since the fan body and the body of the pulley lieflat on these faces, and since, also, the heads formed on the posts areturned at opposite edges upon the parts the act of forming said headscannot deform or buckle the fiat metal parts, the latter remainingperfectly fiat.

In addition to upsetting or riveting the post 8 as described, the fan asin Figure 8 may have its center portion 1' extended toward the axis ofthe counter bore 7 see Figure 10, the center portion I of the said fanbeing bent inward and made to seat in said counter bore through the useof a die I I, the result being shown in said Figure 10, and this die I Imay be used, as well, to operate upon similar center portion l 2 of atleast one of the halves of the pulley 2 of the figure named, Thus boththe fan and pulley may be doubly secured with relation to the hub to aidin preventing a sidewise or lateral shifting movement of the partsrelatively.

In Figure 6 a one-piece type of pulley is illustrated, being identifiedby the character 2'. This is shown in order to clearly bring out thefact that no particular form of pulley is relied upon for use in theassembly. Any form may be employed and this may even extend to the useof a gear or a sprocket wheel as lying with the intent of the inventionand the claims to follow, and, of course, any of these may include themethod of extending the central portion thereof into a counterbore ofthe hub T, if desired, as in Figure 10.

While I have described and shown particular or specific structures ofthe parts to be assembled it is to be understood that my inventioncontemplates any minor changes to serve the same When exact centering ofpreviously balanced elements are involved and where pressure is used tobring about the final result of intimately con nected parts.

I claim:

1. In a method of connecting in balanced relation separate individuallybalanced rotatable elements, one of the elements having openingstherethrough grouped about the axial center of said element, and acompanion element having extensions to engage in the openings andgrouped about the axial center of said companion element, said companionelement having one shoulder between said extensions on the axial sidethereof and a second shoulder on the outer side of said extensions, themethod which includes abutting the elements one on the other and with aface of the element having the openings abutting both of said shouldersand with the extensions projecting through and extending from theopenings beyond a surface of the element having said openings, applyinga tool to the two elements to center them and to align their axes ofrotation, and fixing the elements relatively by riveting the extensionsand expanding them within the openings and forcing their extremitiessnugly upon the member having the openings while maintaining thecentered relation of the elements.

2. In a method of connecting rotatable elements in fixed relation and inaxial alignment, the method which consists in balancing an element aboutits axis, said element having openings extending therethrough groupedabout the axial center of said element, balancing a companion elementabout its axis, said companion element having extensions adapted to passthrough said openings in the first element and grouped about the axialcenter of said companion element, said companion element having oneshoulder between said extensions on the axial side thereof and a secondshoulder on the outer side of said extensions, both elements having acentral bore, abutting the elements one on the other and with the faceof the element having the openings abutting both of said shoulders andwith the extensions projecting through said openings, inserting a toolinto both bores of the thus assembled elements to center them and tobring the axes of rotation of the elements into alignment, and fixingthe elements relatively by riveting the extensions to spread them withinthe openings and to force their extremities upon and into snug abuttingrelation with the said element having said openings.

3. The combination of a plurality of rotatable elements securedtogether, and including a first and a second element, said first elementbeing characterized by a series of openings grouped about its axialcenter and extending axially therethrough, and said second elementhaving extensions grouped about its axial center and projecting intosaid openings and beyond a surface of said first element, said secondelement having one shoulder between said extensions on the axial sidethereof and a second shoulder on the outer Side of said extensions, saidextensions being riveted against said surface of said first element,

sions grouped about its axial center and projecting into said openingsand beyond a surface of said first element, said second element havingone shoulder between said extensions on the axial side thereof and asecond shoulder on the outer side of said extensions, said extensionsbeing riveted against said surface of said first element, whereby theadjacent face of said first element is forced toward said shoulder onsaid second element, and said extensions are spread within said 10openings.

HALE D. ADAMS.

